STEPHEN JENNINGS admits he is relieved to be finally able to think about someone else other than Derry Mathews.

The 27-year-old is enjoying a well earned rest after last Saturday’s defeat to his former amateur rival and is now keen to move on from the derby clash.

‘Jenko’, who trained for 10 weeks in preparation, was stopped in the sixth round but won an army of admirers for his gutsy display in the face of a vintage Mathews performance.

Although Jennings says he has taken mainly positives from the fight for the vacant British Masters lightweight title, he is eager to look forward to the opportunities which will present themselves following the all-Scouse showdown.

Jennings had allowed himself a couple of days to step away from the mayhem of such a highly anticipated occasion to relax before affording the ECHO some time to reflect on the night which reinforced his status as a real prospect.

But, the former two time Junior ABA champion was equally as keen to not let this fight define him and though saying there will not be any rush, it is his future in the boxing ring that matters most.

“I don’t think I performed to the best of my ability but take nothing away from Derry because he was superb on the night,” he said.

“He was razor sharp and a worthy winner.

“Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t really taken any negatives from the fight, Derry was just better on the night but I showed a lot of heart and character.

“I made Derry work for the win and didn’t give him an easy fight but his experience did pay out in the end. He’s a top lad, a former world champion and this was only my seventh pro fight so I think people need to give me credit for taking this. But no excuses at the end of the day.

“I hope to be back out in October but I need to repair my body first for a couple of weeks. I’ll speak with my manager Steve Wood, get back in the gym and see what happens.

“I would imagine Derry vacates the English title when he goes for the European so maybe if I get a win under my belt, then the next step could be to fight for that.

“Having that much spotlight on me for the first time was good. There are a lot of positives to be taken from this fight and a lot of the fans have said I've got the heart of a lion.

“I enjoyed being in the spotlight but there was a lot of pressure on me.”

To order a copy of the fight e-mail info@stickmedia.co.uk.

Round six of the fight is available to watch on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=YNVbCaBqxK4&feature=share